Norwich 'turning the corner' on test scores

NORWICH – Benchmarks and data collection are the key components when it comes to tracking students’ grades in the Norwich City School District.

Superintendent Gerard O’Sullivan said the district is “turning the corner in a lot of key areas when it comes to test scores.” He said since the district and the middle school were placed on the District in Need of Improvement (DINI) and School in Need of Improvement (SINI) lists, administrators and teaching faculty have begun to lay the foundation for success in several areas.

While O’Sullivan says the improvements seem to be working with many age groups, he said the work is not finished.

“In some areas we have made great strides and in others there are still needed improvements,” he said.

The process of reviewing and implementing data, the administrator said, “is what guides instruction.”

A new benchmarking procedure has been put in place that not only tracks the students for the progress they have made in a year’s time, according to O’Sullivan, but “it pinpoints the areas that the student is struggling with.”

“We can look at each child individually,” he said.

At 10-week increments throughout the year, an assessment is completed on students and entire classrooms. “Teachers can look and see how their class is doing in comparison with other classrooms at the same grade level. There is a breakdown of each task and a percentage given for how many students are reaching the target mark,” said O’Sullivan.